Symposium 2014 - 2015

Congratulations to the Inaugural Student Presenters!

The History of 6 Bedford Square: 20th Century Gentleman's Music Club Teaches Amateurism, Spacetime, and Entrepreneurship

Learn about the previously unexplored history of NYU London’s academic center at 6 Bedford Square, once the headquarters of the Oxford and Cambridge Musical Club.

Olivia Bergen - NYU Abu Dhabi

On Capitol Hill: Interning at the Heart of National Policymaking in Washington, DC

Gain a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to study at NYU Washington, DC and intern for a high-profile United States senator.

Kristina Bogos and Megan Eloise - College of Arts and Science

Global Desk: The Endeavor for Borderless Coverage

The Global Desk is a new collaboration between NYU’s three student-run newspapers: the Gazelle in Abu Dhabi, Washington Square News in New York City, and On Century Avenue in Shanghai. The Global Desk seeks out voices and stories from across the global network to create greater mobility between all of NYU’s 14 locations.

Maria Cilio - Gallatin

The Culture of Identity: Exploration at the End of the World

Explore the concept of identity within a global context through Maria’s research and personal experiences at NYU Buenos Aires.

Catalina Escalona - Global Liberal Studies

Artists and Writing: Translating Texts from Berlin's Contemporary Art World

Learn about the benefits of an immersive internship experience like the one Catalina had at the contemporary art gallery and bookshop Wien Lukatsch, while studying away for her entire junior year at NYU Berlin.

Erin Kim - Gallatin

Fashioning an Identity: Explorations on Street Style and Fashion Initiatives in Comprehending the Collective Identity of Berlin

See how the unique style and fashion of a city’s residents can act as a lens to interpreting its culture and identity through research that Erin conducted while studying at NYU Berlin.

Kayla Malone - Global Liberal Studies

The Kennedys in Italy: Historical Perspectives and Modern Consequences

Hear about the challenges Kayla faced while interning with the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights in Florence, Italy, and explore how a piece of the United States’ political history is presented to another culture.

Paige Medley - Global Liberal Studies

What Could You Do Without Electricity?

The time is now to provide electricity for the 1.4 billion people who are considered “energy impoverished” by the United Nations. Paige has volunteered installing solar panels and worked in the solar industry. In 2013 she installed an off-grid project in Nicararagua, and is writing her thesis on the use of PV- technology in unelectrified areas.

Bryan Nelson and Ahmed Alif - CAS and Steinhardt

Using Survey Methods to Analyze Behaviors and Thoughts of Undocumented Immigrants and their Financial Activities: A Quantitative Psychological Proposal

Bryan and fellow student Ahmed Alif are examining the psychological states of undocumented immigrants in the New York metropolitan area and how these mental states correlate to tax contributions.

Sasha Padbidri - Global Liberal Studies

The Generation that Transformed Fashion: Young Chinese Middle Class Consumers and their Impact on Domestic and Global Fashion Trends

Through her internships in the local eco-fashion and e-commerce industries in Shanghai, China, Sasha discovered the way in which Chinese consumers—mainly young middle class—are responding to name brands that have led to the redefinition of the terms “luxury” and “fashion.”

Brandon Peckman - Gallatin

Unicorns in Berlin: Unveiling the Imagination through Collaborative Experience

Brandon elaborates on his personal experience of writing, producing, directing, and editing a film during his semester at NYU Berlin and how collaboration with peers provided an opportunity to discover a smaller community within the larger student community at the academic center.

Emma Pliskin - College of Arts and Science

International Influence on Ghana's Healthcare: Implications of the Millennium Development Goals

Explore the paradoxes Emma discovered during her time at NYU Accra that arise while attempting to apply the UN’s Millennium Development Goals to the Ghanaian healthcare system.

Jazmine Russell - Steinhardt

Reality Talks

A qualitative research and social art project, “Reality Talks,” aims to understand how people perceive and express their own reality. It is made up of a series of interviews with and portraits of nine individuals from Morocco and explores the subjects’ beliefs on topics such as existence, truth, subjectivity, ambiguity, freedom, and culture as well as their role in these beliefs.

Neelam Sakaria - Global Liberal Studies

A Liminal People: Migrants and Asylee Seekers in Tel Aviv

Neelam presents her policy report on the legal and healthcare policies for refugee and asylum-seeking populations worldwide that she researched while interning in the Migrants and Refugees Department at Physicians for Human Rights–Israel.

Amanda Setiawan - School of Engineering

NYU Engineers Without Borders: Lessons in Sustainable Humanitarian Aid through a Community-Led Clean Water Project in Misuuni, Kenya

Amanda outlines the challenges and solutions her team encountered when she led the NYU chapter of Engineers Without Borders in the implementation of a sustainable clean water resource in Misuuni, Kenya.

Alice Sholto-Douglas - Global Liberal Studies

The Power of Poetry and Fundamentals of Film: Examining Contemporary Creative Products as Platforms for Global Discussion with NYU Florence's La Pietra Dialogues

Think about the power of creativity and art’s ability to produce a positive influence in the world while Alice shares experiences about her time working with La Pietra Dialogues and organizing her own dialogue for the program at NYU Florence.

Maegan Vazquez - College of Arts and Science

Globalizing Campus Media: How a News Seminar and a Government Shutdown Fostered a Worldwide Writing Initiative

Hear about the opportunities available at NYU Washington, DC, and Maegan’s creation of a foreign correspondents program for NYUlocal.com, for which she is currently the national editor.

2014 Keynote Speaker

Kate Otto is a global health consultant, author, and student at the NYU School of Medicine. Since graduating from NYU with her BA in international relations and MPA in health policy and management, Kate has worked for the World Bank, USAID, and other development partners on the creation and implementation of mobile phone–based innovations in healthcare. She speaks fluent Bahasa Indonesia and has lived and worked in Indonesia, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa, and Haiti. Kate is also the author of Everyday Ambassador, a nonfiction book about global citizenship and social change in the 21st century that will be published in 2015 by Simon & Schuster. She also manages a website of the same name, everydayambassador.org, promoting human connection and shared humanity through service initiatives. Kate is a proud alumna of NYU Accra as well as of the NYU Catherine B. Reynolds Program in Social Entrepreneurship.